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NDHSAA Member School Alumni: Roger Maris, former multi-sport start at Shanley HS

Editor's Note: NDHSAA Media Specialist Tom Mix will periodically feature former student athletes and participants of NDHSAA-sponsored sports and activities on the NDHSAA NOW website (www.ndhsaanow.com).

This week's NDHSAA Member School Alumni Spotlight shines on Roger Maris, a 1952 graduate of Fargo Shanley High School. Below is a list of accomplishments in Roger's athletic career that was highlighted by his unforgettable 1961 MLB regular season that saw him hit a record 61 home runs with the New York Yankees.

ROGER MARIS - PREP ATHLETIC STANDOUT AT FARGO SHANLEY HIGH SCHOOL

GRADUATION YEAR: 1952

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC CAREER

  • Played Football and Basketball at Fargo Shanley High School.

  • During his senior season in football in 1951, Maris returned four kickoffs for touchdowns in Shanley’s 32-27 win against Devils Lake High School.

  • Played Baseball for Fargo Post 2 American Legion from 1949-1951. Was MVP of Post 2’s 1950 state championship team. 

PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL CAREER

  • Made his major league debut on April 16, 1957 with the Cleveland Indians, the club he had signed with as an amateur free agent prior to the 1953 baseball season for $15,000.

  • Played in 12 big league seasons with four teams (Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals).  

  • Played in a total of seven all-star games during his career.

  • Named American League Most Valuable Player in 1960 and 1961 while playing for the New York Yankees.

  • Hit 61 home runs in 1961 breaking Babe Ruth’s single season home run record of 60.

  • Sporting News Player of the Year in 1961.

  • Rawlings Gold Glove winner in 1960.

  • Won three MLB World Series Championships during his career (1961-New York, 1962-New York and 1967-St. Louis).

  • Appeared in a total of seven World Series in his 12 season in the big leagues (1960-1964, 1967-1968).

  • Finished his career with 275 home runs, 850 RBI, 826 runs, 652 walks, .345 on-base percentage, .476 slugging percentage and 1,325 hits.

  • Hit six career home runs in 41 World Series games played.

OTHER HONORS

  • North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award Recipient - January 4, 1964

  • New York Yankees retired his “No. 9” in 1984 and he is honored with a plaque in the team’s famous “Monument Park”

  • Inducted into the North Dakota American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.

  • A museum in his honor is housed at the West Acres Shopping Mall in Fargo.

  • His namesake is attached to the Roger Maris Cancer Center at Sanford Hospital in Fargo.

  • Member of the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame.

  • Inducted in the Fargo Post 2 American Legion Baseball of Fame in 2006.


 

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